WHEREAS, the collapse of a factory building near Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 24, 2013, killed more than 400 people, most of them garment workers, and left hundreds more missing, making it one of the worst manufacturing disasters in history; and

WHEREAS, workplace deaths and injuries at Bangladeshi apparel factories are becoming commonplace, with the building collapse in April coming less than six months after a fire at a Tazreen Fashion factory outside Dhaka that killed 112 people; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the danger of fire or building collapse, many garment workers in Bangladesh face enormous health threats. such as from breathing in fiber dust, formaldehyde or heated plastics and working with noisy, heavily vibrating machines that can contribute to hearing loss or neuromuscular problems; and

WHEREAS, apparel factories in Bangladesh produce clothes for major brands sold in the United States including Wal-Mart, Sears, H&M, Benetton and Gap; and

WHEREAS, the garment industry in Bangladesh has grown rapidly over the past decade, with the country now ranking second only to China in apparel manufacturing; and

WHEREAS, the low prices paid by clothing companies to their manufacturers, the hands-off approach that most clothing companies take to outsourced manufacturing and the lack of union protections among most Bangladeshi garment workers have contributed to some factories cutting corners on fire and building safety and worker health and safety; and

WHEREAS, in addition to Bangladeshi garment workers facing significant health and safety risks on the job, they are also among the lowest-paid factory workers in the world, with average wages of $37 per month; and

WHEREAS, international labor rights groups including the IndustriALL Global Union, the International Labor Rights Forum, the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Workers’ Rights Consortium have been urging major apparel retailers in Europe, the United States and Asia to sign a fire and safety building agreement setting terms for factory inspections, remediation for victims of factory fires or accidents, and safety training, and

WHEREAS, at least two major companies including PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, have endorsed the proposed building and fire safety plan although they first want other companies to sign onto it, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the United Federation of Teachers will work with the American Federation of Teachers to call on all U.S. retailers that use Bangladeshi suppliers to immediately begin working with international labor rights groups and sign onto a fire and building safety agreement with genuine monitoring and enforcement that will protect the lives of Bangladeshi garment workers and, furthermore, in order for the health and safety of workers in Bangladesh be fully protected it is necessary for the Blangladesh government to recognize the right of workers to join a free and democratic trade union